Road signal fixture



April 29, 1969 CROCELLA ET AL 3,440,996

ROAD 5 IGNAL FIXTURE Filed April 16, 1965 115 fi'g jz Ji 1d United States Patent 3,440,996 ROAD SIGNAL FIXTURE Paolo Crocella and Mario Sirtoli, Milan, Italy, assignors to Montecatini Edison S.p.A., Milan, Italy, a corporation of Italy Filed Apr. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 448,657 Claims priority, appl2ica5ti60n Italy, Apr. 20, 1964,

4 Int. Cl. E01f 9/10; G09f 13/00; B29c 17/04 US. Cl. 116-63 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Our invention relates to signal fixtures for use as traflic or other directive road signs. In a more particular aspect, the invention concerns fixtures to be mounted on poles and having a fixed signal content, such as stop signs, noparking signs, speed-limit and other warning signs, traffic selective or prohibitive markers and the like.

Generally such signs or markers, prescribed by state laws, consist of a painted metal plate. This leaves much to be desired. In the first place, it is difficult to make such signs luminous under critical conditions of visibility such as in the dark, fog, rain or snow. Furthermore, the useful life of such devices is excessively limited because they tend to rust or corrode by exposure to weather. In addition, the conventional road signs are manufactured from different pieces, such as the marker plate proper and a mounting fixture to be joined with the plate. The metal plate, as a rule, is fastened to the supporting pole by welding or with the aid of bolted rings; and all of these component pieces are apt to become damaged or to result in more rapid deterioration of the fixture.

To avoid some of these deficiencies, luminous signal fixtures have been made of two halves joined together under pressure or by means of junction moldings. Since, as a rule, the two halves are not of the same material, one being transparent and the other opaque, and have different coefficients of thermal expansion, the seal between the two pieces of the fixture becomes unreliable with prolonged use, so that moisture may penetrate into, or condense inside the fixture and damage the internal lighting equipment.

It is an object of our invention to provide signal fixtures generally of the above-mentioned kind that eliminate the above-mentioned deficiencies.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a hollow signal structure suitable to receive source of light or luminescence which remain reliably protected from ingress of water or moisture.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate and simplify manufacture of such fixtures by eliminating the necessity of providing for any sealing means and minimizing the amount of assembling work thus reducing the manufacturing and installing cost as well as the possibilities of trouble heretofore encountered.

Still another object of the invention is to devise a road signal fixture which lends itself particularly well to manufacture by automatic mass production.

According to our invention, a road signal fixture to be mounted on a pole is formed essentially of a single-piece hollow bottle-type structure of synthetic plastic material which has a laterally wide body portion with a front face for exhibiting the signal and has an open tubular neck portion extending away from the body portion and adapted to be stuck and fastened on the mounting pole. The diameter of the neck portion is much narrower than the lateral width of the signal front. The wall of the neck portion is integral with the wall of the body portion, and the interior hollow of the bottle-type overall structure extends inside the body portion and through the neck portion. The material from which the hollow structure of the signal fixture is made consists of translucent or opaque material, preferably of polyolefin resin material; and the structure is preferably made by extrusion and subsequent blowing of the bottle-type structure, any of the methods known for extrusion and blowing of bottles from plastic material being applicable.

The invention will be further described with reference to embodiments of signal fixtures according to the invention illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGS. 1a to 1d show four different spective front views.

FIGS. 2a to 2d show the same four embodiments by respective rear views; and

FIG. 3 shows one of the embodiments by a lateral view and partly in section.

The illustrated fixtures 1, 2, 3, 4 are designed as trafiic signs and are of circular, triangular, square and rhombic (diamond) shape respectively. Each of the illustrated fixtures constitutes essentially a single-piece bottle-type hollow structure which has a main or body portion forming the front face shown in FIG. 1, and also a neck portion, such as the one denoted by 1b in FIGS. 2 and 3. The neck portion is integral with the body portion in the manner of an ordinary bottle but has a larger diameter than corresponds to the transverse thickness of the body portion. An extension 1a of the neck portion is located on the rear side of the body portion 1 and tapers down to the rear side of the body portion which it reaches at a point located near the edge or corner diametrically opposite the neck-junction area of the main portion. That is, the outward extension 1a of the neck portion 1b extends along the rear side of the main portion 1 up to a point beyond the center area of the main portion. The extension 1a merges and communicates with lateral arms 10 which form a star-shaped arrangement together with the neck 1b and its extension 1a. The star-shaped arrangement merging with the main portion of the structure reinforces the fixture which thus constitutes a substantially rigid structure. The entire interior spaces of the main portion, neck portion, extension and arms are all integral so as to form a single internal hollow.

It will be recognized that a fixture according to the invention as exemplified by the illustrated embodiments consists of a single piece which is open to the outside only through the neck portion. This virtually eliminates the possibility of water entering into the fixture. The hollow interior of the fixture permits the installation of light sources such as fluorescent or other lamps or luminescen material.

Aside from the monolithic structure and the resulting good rigidity of the entire fixture, it is preferably mad: of translucent material which, compared with fully trans parent material, has the advantage of providing for per manent and diffused luminosity of the signal or marke which thus is clearly visible without blinding the roa users.

The possibility of employing the known technique c extrusion and subsequent blowing is another advantag embodiments by rewhich affords a low-cost mass production of uniform high-quality products. The plastic materials employed for producing the fixture are eminently suitable because of their high resistance to the ingress of water. This is particularly the case when employing polyolefinic resinous materials.

The mounting of the fixture to a supporting pole is a simple and reliably performable operation as the fixture terminates into a tubular neck whose inner diameter corresponds to the diameter of the supporting pole. It is only necessary to stick the fixture upon a pole and to secure it by passing a cross-pin or bolt transversely through the neck portion. Thus, in FIG. 3, the neck portion 1b is shown provided with diametrical opposite bores traversed by a fastening pin 5.

The front face upon which the signalling or markers symbol is impressed or otherwise indicated is preferably given a slight bulge in the outward direction, this being apparent from FIG. 3. Such a bulging shape promotes the shedding of water and prevents the settling of dust or other materials as may soil the front face. This increases the permanence of signal visibility for prolonged periods of use.

We claim:

1. A road signal fixture to be mounted on a pole, comprising a singlespiece hollow structure of synthetic plastic material having a laterally expansive body portion with a front face for exhibiting a signal and having an open tubular neck portion of narrow width compared with that of said front face, said neck portion extending away from said body portion and being adapted to be stuck and fastened on the mounting pole, said body portion and said neck portion having respective integral walls and respective integral interior hollow spaces.

2. A road signal fixture to be mounted on a pole, comprising an integral hollow structure of substantially rigid plastic material having a laterally expansive and generally fiat body portion with a front face for exhibiting a signal and having an open tubular neck portion of narrow width compared with that of said front face, said neck portion extending away from said body portion and being adapted to be stuck and fastened on the mounting pole, said body portion and said neck portion having their respective walls merged with each other, and the internal hollow space of said hollow structure extending from within said body portion through said neck portion to the opening of said neck portion.

3. A road signal fixture to be mounted on a pole, comprising an integral hollow structure of substantially rigid plastic material having a laterally expansive and generally flat body portion with a front face for exhibiting a signal and having an open tubular neck portion of narrow width compared with that of said front face, said neck portion extending away from said body portion and being adapted to be stuck and fastened on the mounting pole, said body portion and said neck portion having their respective walls merged with each other, and said neck portion having diametrically aligned openings for receiving a fastening member.

4. In a signal fixture according to claim 1, said hollow structure being formed of polyolefinic resin.

5. In a signal fixture according to claim 1, said front face of said body portion having a slightly bulging shape in the outward direction.

6. In a signal fixture according to claim 1, said hollow structure being formed of translucent synthetic resin material.

7. In a signal fixture according to claim 1, the hollow of said structure containing luminous material to form a signal visible through said material from the front-face side of said body portion.

8. A road signal fixture to be mounted on a pole, comprising a single-piece hollow structure of synthetic plastic material having a laterally expansive body portion with a front face for exhibiting a signal and having an open tubular neck portion of narrow width compared with that of said front face, said neck portion extending away from said body portion and being adapted to be stuck and fastened on the mounting pole, the external diameter of said neck portion being larger than the thickness of said body portion perpendicular to said front face, said neck portion having an extension tapering on the back side of said body portion from the said neck diameter down to the thickness of said body portion along a distance terminating beyond the center of said back side, said body portion and neck portion with said extension forming a single interior hollow space.

9. In a signal fixture according to claim 8, said extension having hollow lateral arms extending laterally along said back side from the center area of said body portion, each arm tapering toward its extremity and merging with said body portion.

10. A road signal fixture to be mounted on a pole, comprising a single-piece hollow structure of synthetic plastic material having a laterally expansive body portion with a front face for exhibiting a signal and a rear face, and an open tubular neck portion of narrow width, compared with that of said front face, extending from said rear face and away from said body portion and being adapted to be stuck and fastened on the mounting pole, said body portion and said neck portion having respective integral walls and respective integral interior hollow spaces communicating through said rear face.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,096,596 7/1963 Magnuson et al. 40-135 682,212 9/1901 Lutwyche 40-136 1,604,773 10/1926 Gillinder 40-l 36' 1,798,052 3/1931 Additon 116-114 1,903,482 4/1933 Senseney 11663 2,193,058 3/1940 Carver 40-l36 FOREIGN PATENTS 698,083 11/1930 France. 64,607 2/1928 Sweden.

LOUIS J. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

